


Herbs x and x Steel

by HanaKaicho



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Crying, Death Threats, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-30
Updated: 2018-12-30
Packaged: 2019-09-30 09:40:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17221514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HanaKaicho/pseuds/HanaKaicho
Summary: Hisoka woke in the middle of the night to a noise. Huffing? No…choking? Hisoka repositioned to better survey his surroundings. Did Illumi bring work home with him?“Illu? Are you murdering someone in our apartment without me?” Hisoka asked teasingly.The noise stopped abruptly.“Yes.”The metallic and earthy taste of Illumi's lie entered Hisoka's mouth.





	Herbs x and x Steel

**Author's Note:**

> So this is for the Hunter x Hunter Secret Santa 2018! The prompt I picked from Madin's, my recipient, suggestions was "A character can taste lies and uses this to confront another character. This results in a confession of any sort." and I decided to play with Hisoka and Illumi for it!
> 
> Madin wanted it to be super angsty and I gave it a good crack! It didn't come out quite as angsty as I hoped but I'm satisfied overall and I hope Madin is too!
> 
> Thanks for stopping by my fic! Enjoy!

Hisoka woke in the middle of the night to a noise. Huffing? No…choking? Hisoka repositioned to better survey his surroundings. Did Illumi bring work home with him?

“Illu? Are you murdering someone in our apartment without me?” Hisoka asked teasingly.

The noise stopped abruptly.

“Yes.”

The metallic and earthy taste of Illumi's lie entered Hisoka's mouth.

“Oh really?” Hisoka replied. “Who's the unlucky target?”

A muted sound like suppressed retching came once from where Illumi was speaking.

“A client's political rival.”

Herbs and steel.

“Illumi, you shouldn't try to fool someone who can taste lies~,” Hisoka said. “Are you crying?”

The air was tense.

“No.”

Hisoka considered what Illumi might be trying to conceal with his lies as he tasted them again. He was obviously trying to save face. No proper assassin showed this kind of vulnerability, but this was _Illumi_. What even got him to this point? In all their years knowing each other and their months living together, Hisoka had never seen him lose his composure like this.

“Go back to sleep, Hisoka,” Illumi said, his voice steadier than before, though tight. “I pricked myself with one of my needles. It's just mild anaphylaxis. And I still don't believe you can _taste_ lies.”

Hisoka turned on the light and rose from their bed to go to Illumi, tasting his fourth lie of the night. “It's unlike you to be so clumsy and careless. What happened?” he asked, a taunting tone still in his voice.

Illumi coughed to cover up a sob.

Hisoka frowned. This wasn't much fun. So he changed tactics and instead of harassing Illumi, he decided he would try to comfort him. He could always hold whatever vulnerable, gushy things Illumi said over his head later.

“Don't touch me, Hisoka,” Illumi ordered, jerking away from Hisoka trying to rest his hands on Illumi's shoulders. “Leave me alone.”

Hisoka smirked. _We won't get anywhere if I keep trying to be gentle. I'll need to get those walls down…_

Hisoka shifted and threw Illumi to the floor on his back, restraining him by sticking his wrists and ankles to the floor with his bungee gum. He grabbed Illumi by the throat and watched a flash of shock and fear shoot across Illumi's face. It was gone just as quickly as it appeared, but in its place remained a look like a wild animal’s.

“Mmmm, you know I love playing games, Illu,” Hisoka said, leaning down to lick a tear trail from Illumi's cheek. “And seeing you in this state is - ” he paused to shiver “ - simply delectable. Give me more.”

Hisoka leaned close to Illumi again and whispered in his ear, “ _Tell me the truth._ ”

“ _I'm going to kill you._ ”

Illumi's eyes were dark and dangerous as he spoke the threat as an oath.

“Mm, well, not the truth I was looking for, but a good start,” Hisoka chuckled, sitting back. “Though I think you'll find it harder than you expect. Especially since I've sealed your Nen.”

Illumi's bloodlust slowly dissipated as he confirmed Hisoka's statement. The rage faded from his eyes and his flat affect returned.

“What do you want, Hisoka?” he asked as though the last several moments hadn't happened.

“I _want_ to know why you were crying,” Hisoka said. “It must be something truly horrendous to bring _you_ to tears.”

“I told you, I wasn't crying,” Illumi responded.

There was a long pause as Hisoka considered the situation.

“Illu,” he said, cocking his head. “I don't need to be able to taste lies to see you crying right now.”

Though not much changed in his expression, Hisoka could see Illumi trying to find a way out of the situation. Trying to bring his walls up again. So Hisoka pushed him.

“So what was it?” he asked. “Did you fail a job and Silva got mad? No, you would never. Hmm, you don't have many weak points - ”

“I don't have _any_ weak points, Hisoka,” Illumi stated.

“Oh? Don't you?”

“I don't.”

“None at all? Really?”

“No.”

“Not even… Our little Killu?”

Illumi's hand twitched and a focus and a fire returned to his eyes.

“No.”

Hisoka could almost feel one of Illumi's poison coated needles on his tongue but still he pushed.

“That seems to have hit the mark,” he said. “You're crying over your baby brother? Do you miss him that much?”

“No.”

“I'm sure I could call up Gon and convince them to come over.”

“Shut up, Hisoka.”

“Hm?”

“That selfish little brat wouldn't listen to you, not if he knew I was involved,” Illumi snapped.

“Oh?”

“He took Killu away,” Illumi continued. “I should have killed him. He's the one who made Killu this way.”

“What way?”

“He has Killu convinced he hates me.”

Hisoka raised an eyebrow. Illumi thought that was Gon's fault?

A tiny jerk started around Illumi's mouth. “Killu doesn't actually hate me. He can't. I only taught him how to love his family.”

Hisoka felt more tiny shakes and quivers pass through Illumi's body as the tears started to stream down Illumi's smooth, deathly pale cheeks again.

“He can't hate me. I didn't teach him how.”

The choking noises that Hisoka had woken to started again, now unmistakably coming from Illumi. He pulled and struggled uselessly against Hisoka's bungee gum.

“Are you enjoying my humiliation?” Illumi asked, capturing Hisoka's focus. “Does it bring you arousal to hold me down and watch as you force me to shed tears?”

Illumi had never felt so exposed and vulnerable. When he was four, his parents had stripped him naked and dumped him in a remote region of the mountain in winter as part of his training, and somehow, lying under Hisoka, fully clothed, on their apartment floor now was worse. His face was ablaze with shame. As though being so weak as to show this kind of pain wasn't enough, he was doing so with an audience, unable to even hide his face.

But suddenly Hisoka released him.

He deactivated his Nen holding Illumi in place and embraced him tightly.

“Hide your face and let it out, Illumi,” Hisoka coaxed.

Illumi couldn't help but feel Hisoka might have been mocking him, but Hisoka's fingers gently running through his hair and Hisoka's arms against his back evaporated his ability to suppress himself. He reached around Hisoka and held onto him as a huge wave of something unfamiliar rose up inside him and threatened to smash him to pieces. He tucked his face into Hisoka's shoulder.

“I'm scared of what's coming, Hisoka,” he confessed in a whisper.

“Let it out,” Hisoka repeated, tightening his grip.

So he did.

The wave crashed down on Illumi and he wept. He clung to Hisoka and wept as he confessed his deepest fears and regrets, especially those related to Killua. He wept until he was shaking and gasping for breath. Until nothing existed in the world except Hisoka and himself.

When he came down, Hisoka still held him tightly as he slouched against Hisoka's chest and tried to catch his breath. He felt utterly spent, no strength in his body and barely even conscious.

“Are you feeling better, my love?” Hisoka asked.

“Maybe,” Illumi answered.

“Mm, time for bed?”

Illumi nodded in response and Hisoka gathered him up in his arms and carried him to their bed.

Once they were both settled in, Hisoka stroked Illumi's cheek and drew his fingers through Illumi's hair again. He watched Illumi give a small sigh. A bit of tension still stored in Illumi's body faded and he sank a bit deeper into their mattress.

“Hisoka,” Illumi said. “I apologize for that unsightly behavior. It won't happen again.”

“Nonsense,” purred Hisoka. “It was sublime, hypnotic. I loved it.”

Illumi was silent for a moment, considering Hisoka's response.

“Understood,” Illumi said. “I suppose it is standard for allies to maintain some level of openness, so I will allow this.”

Hisoka smirked at Illumi's interpretation of their relationship, but didn't press the topic. He turned off the light and settled back in, closing his eyes to sleep.

He opened his eyes to the darkness of their room again when he felt Illumi's fingers on his face.

“Hisoka. Kiss me.”

“Just a kiss?” Hisoka asked with a smirk.

“Just a kiss,” Illumi confirmed. “Give it to me.”

As Hisoka lifted his head from the pillow to oblige Illumi's request, Illumi's fingers traveled to the back of Hisoka's head and Illumi pulled him into a deep kiss.

When he released Hisoka, Illumi repeated, “Just a kiss. Good night, Hisoka.”

Hisoka chuckled slightly and laid back down. “Good night, Illu.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you again for reading my fic! I hope you enjoyed! Constructive feedback is welcome and appreciated!
> 
> Come say hi to me on tumblr at patch-of-shore! (there's also a link to my ko-fi there...just...ftr...by the by...w/e


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